Short-Term Missions – Long-Term Growth

Have you mowed your lawn yet?

I’m treading on thin ice here and I know it. Perhaps not with friends reading this from the southern states or elsewhere in Europe, but with friends in the north-eastern USA and many parts of Canada… there’s a strong possibility!

Spring Cleaning

Last weekend, after publishing the post and having lunch, we set about doing some Spring cleaning.

Dominic mowed the lawn there at home which was, believe it or not, a big job. Though only March, the lawn had already gotten away on us and I had to trim with a weed-whacker a few days earlier – then let dry – before he would be able to mow without frustration.

While he worked at home, Liz, Timo & I headed down to the church.

Timo volunteered to mow the church lawn (roughly two acres)… although is it really considered work when you’re mowing from atop a John Deere ride-on? It doesn’t matter… it’s a big job and we’re glad for his help.

While he was doing that, Liz vacuumed, did windows, washed floors and did a bit of sanitation: …a pile of work in a short time!

I did an initial tackling of the front garden bed and a couple of other areas. Step one was to get rid of all the weeds & see what remained from last year. We’ll plant it with annuals in a couple of weeks once the risk of frost is over.

Soph, bless ‘er, was busy sifting through homework assignments that had to be finalized for her most recent grading period.

Sunday…

We had a great service and afterward there was a neat sense of camaraderie that prevailed. It might be strange to put it that way but people were not in a rush to leave but rather were content to stay and chat for nearly an hour.

In the same way that an apple blossom holds the promise of fruit, so the fact that people spontaneously stay to enjoy each other’s company shows growth… it’s a good sign.

These, incidentally are our apple trees… loaded with blossoms this year… if we manage to avoid an early frost or a period of drought, we could be eating apples ’til they come out our ears!

Driving…

I’m almost done driving back & forth, weekly, to Poitiers to teach at the university. Classes will finish this week and then it will be exam time for the students.

You can see that the rapeseed (cultivated to make cooking oil) is in full blossom right now, so on a sunny day… contrasting with the blue sky and green fields, it makes for a beautiful drive.

Bible School Weekend

Last night I hopped in the car and headed for Melun after having a date-morning with Liz.

This is one of the tree-lined roads (the D152) that you can expect to see all over the place in France. I sometimes like to get off the highway – to both minimize the highway tolls(which are extravagant – a Bible School weekend costs me roughly $65 USD in gas and another $65 USD in highway tolls) as well as to change things up a little.

This particular road also leads through the city of Fontainebleau, home of Napoleon’s palace… where I did a quick stop.

Today I’ll be teaching some 40 students on the epistles of Romans and 1 Corinthians. Lord, open our minds to hear & understand your word

You’re the Best!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for regularly stopping by to catch up on what’s happening here. Let what you read inform your prayers for us and for France.